Road milling machines, also known as cold planers, may be configured to remove, mix, or reclaim material from the surface of bituminous, concrete, or asphalt roadways and other surfaces using a rotatable planing tool mounted on a frame. The frame may be mounted on a plurality of tracks or wheels which support and transport the machine along the roadway surface.
Typically, cold planers may also include a plurality of lifting members positioned near the front and rear of the frame. The lifting members may be adjusted between extended and retracted positions to control the depth and shape of a cut by raising or lowering the frame and rotatable planing tool.
A road surface is often used after the road has been milled by a milling machine. Without a smooth transition between the milled and non-milled surfaces damage or discomfort may occur for cars that travel along the road. Conventional milling machines require operators to manually adjust the level settings while the machine propels forward to create a smoother transition. However, this often results in inconsistent transitions and also takes the operator's attention away from other tasks while focusing on making the transition cuts.
U.S. Publication No. US2008/0152428 A1, published Jun. 26, 2008, describes a road milling machine and method for measuring the milling depth. However, it still suffers from the problems mentioned above.